Forgotten
by some.name.here
Summary: "Well, I'll be downright damned," America mumbled, "for underestimating their spirit..." / Based on the Forgotten War and the times both before and after it. Rated T for language and suggestive themes.
1. Underestimation

**Author's Notes: Okay... so this is an idea I've had in my mind for a while. **

**This is NOT a story, but it IS a compilation of my "Forgotten War" flashbacks and memories I've written in my other works. I've also extended these flashbacks, so you may notice differences in this context and the context of these anywhere else.  
This is for those people who would like a quick trip into my imagination and interpretation of possible experiences.**  
**Please enjoy! **

**HETALIA and its characters are not of my creation or ownership.  
**

* * *

"All right, Yong Soo. Let's see if you can get this one."  
Korea grinned cheekily and nodded his head. "Of course I will get it, Alfred. Do not underestimate my capability, 우리 친구야. [My friend]"  
"그래, 그래, 김치 boy. [All right, all right, kimchi boy.] Whatever you say." The American stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes with distaste.  
Yong Soo reciprocated their facial atrocity as Jones fished out an object from the inside of his leather coat.  
Alfred smirked in what he thought would be his victory. He hadn't taught the other what _THIS_ was yet.  
"Here."

For a moment, Korea stared at the object held within the gloved hand in front of him. He frowned, letting his irritated auburn oculars rest upon the American's azure ones.  
"…Cheater."

"What happened to 'Do not underestimate my capability', hmm~?" Alfred teased, tousling the raven-colored locks of his fellow nation's. "Come on, take a guess, 김치 boy."

Yong Soo pondered, but it was quite apparent he had absolutely no clue what to call it in English.  
"I think it's a—"

**"용수! 넌 뭐 었을 하고 있는거냐? [Yong Soo! What are you doing?]"**

"형님! [Big brother!]" Yong Soo nearly jumped out of his skin, turning on his heel to face his angered twin who was now approaching them.  
Jones gave a simple wave of the hand, grinning at the other Im brother. "안녕, 자수. [Hi, Ja Soo.]"

Ja Soo slung his arm over Yong Soo's shoulders and forced the boy to walk away, pressing down on his brother's neck to provide an uncomfortable bent curve on their spine. He had not even bothered to return the American's greeting, but only looked the blonde up and down in scrutinizing. They held a snarl at the pit of their throat as they turned their attention to the road the pair now tread upon.

Ja Soo smacked his twin's chest with his free hand when they had finally moved a few paces away from the foreigner. He sighed in exasperation, almost glaring at his mirror image folded over next to him.

"용수. [Yong Soo.]" The brother stated in a stern voice. "용수, 이해 못 하겠어? 그 놈은 우리 하고 달라. [Yong Soo, do you not understand? He is not like us.]"

"그래서? 미국이 좋은 사람 이야. … [So what? America's a good guy…]"

Ja Soo stopped in his tracks and let loose the opportunity to let Yong Soo stand properly and straighten his back. The elder pulled the other's cheeks apart.  
He had never heard Yong Soo ever disagree with him, and to top it all off, now he was teaching that damned blonde their language. After how many times he had prohibited them to accept the help from the American, he wondered exactly how his friend Ivan would take this information in.  
"어서! 이거봐, 이거봐… [Well! Would you take a look at THIS guy…]" Ja Soo grumbled with knit eyebrows, making sure to leave Yong Soo's cheeks hurting until the next day.

"아! [Ah!]" Yong Soo smacked off the painful hands away from his face. "진짜야, 형님! 성격 이 좋아. [Seriously, big brother! He has a good personality.]"

* * *

America stuffed his hands back into his pockets, watching the two Asian brothers walk off along the dusty dirt path. He kept his eye more on Yong Soo and his expressive hand motions as Ja Soo mirrored with the same amount of emotion or even greater in protest.  
Alfred felt his bemused, but amused grin drop slowly, knowing quite well of how difficult it would be to recover this land without certain problems. He would have to settle things carefully with the Soviet Union and rebuild the nation of Korea properly to save these two beaten boys… but his concern with Ivan's cunning and persona made something boil deep within his blood.

Jones shrugged away a thought and cleared his throat, slowly taking his time down the opposite direction of the road as he mumbled a few verses of his national anthem to himself.

* * *

That night, he returned back to his temporary abode at the governmental accommodations in Korea. Alfred had changed into his sleep clothes when someone had unexpectedly rapped at his door.

"I'll be right there! Hold on."

He slid the wooden door aside, only to find a young woman stand there with a letter in her hand.

Not being able to speak in the tongue of the American, she only bowed and presented the paper with two hands.  
Jones smiled understandingly as he took the delivery. He bowed in return to the lady. "고맙습니다, 아가씨. [Thank you, miss.]"

"ㅇ-응? [H-Huh?]"  
The woman giggled at being both flustered and amused by his accent. "네. [Of course/Yes.]" She replied, picking up her dress as she quickly made her way down the hall.

Alfred closed his door quietly to not disturb his neighbors and returned to his bed with the paper.

_**My reply is late, but what you showed me today was a compass, was it not?  
My sources are great, aren't they? **_

The American laughed in realizing whom it was that had sent this letter in the middle of the night.

Only Yong Soo would be crazy enough to prove his point like this. From day one, he had realized that this young guy didn't seem very comfortable with losing anything. Anything at all...especially games.

He continued reading.

_**I told you not to underestimate me, Alfred ****형님 **[Big brother]**! This means that I win today~.  
I will see you tomorrow, and from then you must teach me more of your culture.  
I'm still curious about your strange foods, really...  
안녕히 주무세요****! **[Sleep well!]**  
-****임용수 **[Im Yong Soo]_

On the bottom of the page was an intricate stamp of some sorts and a smiling face right by his name, scribbled childishly in ink.

Alfred grinned, still shaking his head as he reached for his leather coat's inner pocket to retrieve the mentioned compass.  
Skilled digits fondled with the flat, round object, twirling it in the air and catching it again in the palm of his hand.  
By the light of the faint little lamp placed on the stand by the bed, the nation followed the steady motion of the compass going up falling down.

It was obvious he would have to play his cards correctly in order to give the Im brothers their true freedom.

After such a violent takeover and countless encounters of obstacles because of the peninsula's ideal trading location...

"Well, I'll be downright damned," America mumbled, "for underestimating their spirit…"

* * *

**Author's Notes: Should I continue with adding on other stuff and create a compilation? **

**Reviews, please~.  
**


	2. Obduration

**Author's Notes: In the perspective of a certain soldier, we follow him deep into a certain day that has not yet fled from his tainted and troubled memory. **  
**This is from chapter 4 of my story "Parallel".**  
**Please enjoy! **

* * *

He was tired, sore, and soaked in the sickening, almost vomit-inducing mixture of sweat and blood that was both his and others'. The last, stupid encounter he had only hours ago now left him weaponless and injured. The dirty sneak and a partner in crime who hid in the shadows had stolen his gun after stabbing his leg with some makeshift knife.

Which hurt like _hell_, mind you…

Limping, they progressively made towards the abandoned shelter he and his brother found when they were only children. Painstakingly, he passed over the uprooted trees that blockaded the usual path and stepped precariously in case someone may have planted explosives in the dirt, even if no living soul came out to these parts of the land.  
He hoped and prayed to whatever high being available that the building was still there…

Because they know that there would never be a place to comfortably call home.  
Because they saw the pure hatred on the faces of some of his own people.  
Because they understand that they would never be welcomed with open arms ever again.

_So, at least, this building would help._

_

* * *

_

It was located far and away from the cities, villages, and the citizens of Korea. No one else knew about this spot aside from these two brothers, and they swore to keep their secret from all, including the rest of their 'siblings'. Besides from just a place to talk and play alone as children, maybe it would be able to serve for some other use now. He needed to rest. Think.  
At least get as far away as possible from the voices of the nation.

"It's still standing," he murmured in relief, "it's still standing..."  
And he quickened his pace to a slow jog up the hill, approaching the hideaway.

The entrance to the building was a small, window-sized hole on a wall, for the steel door never did budge ever since he and his little brother found it.  
Though, there was no way that he would take the time or effort to try and crawl through it in his condition.  
And so he hit his back against the cemented wall, carefully inching, lowering himself to take a seat in the now dead grass and dust. He cooled down in the provided shadow, knowing very well that it would also help camouflage his figure from a distance.

**You killed her!****  
Father, will you come home tonight?****  
Take care of them while I'm gone.****  
Tell him that I'm sorry.  
I'll see you in your dreams, dear. Don't worry.**

The soldier picked up a random rock in his reach and chucked it out into the light of the sun, down the slope he had just trudged up. He watched the small cloud of dust formed from impact rise and blow off to the side in the humid breeze.

"Oh, just shut up, all of you…"

Not a beat was missed as the same stone he had thrown came flying at his face.  
Perhaps he finally lost his mind, or something out there was out to get him…like the majority populace of his people.  
They caught the flying object in their hand and stared curiously at it.

…The citizens of Korea must not have appreciated that comment very much…

_**CHAK.

* * *

**_

"…One question."

_Ooh._ The sitting individual thought as he felt a smirk tug at the corner of his lip. _Someone's coming up…_

"Can you sleep at night with all the cries and gunshots in the background and in your head?"

The soldier stared down the visible barrel of the rifle now aimed at his face, but not before taking a good look at his visitor.

"Ah, haha. Hey there, Yong Soo-yah."

* * *

Yong Soo kept his arms steady and ready to fire, walking up and towards his target with little hesitation in his step. He stopped, close enough to press the sun-warmed metal against the body.  
"Come on, now. You're not answering my question." He lifted his brother's chin with the end of the barrel, lastly placing it on their forehead.

"…Haven't slept properly in weeks, really. You?"

"T'ch. Not sure anyone has, to be honest."

The elder shrugged his shoulders into a slump and stared, calmly, at the different uniform his flesh and blood in front of him wore. It was with some disdain, but not as much as he had in previous days.  
He didn't care anymore.  
He didn't care for anything anymore.

Yong Soo released the safety of the heavy, black weapon in his hands.

"If you're going to kill me, do it quickly, please, while I still have my pride." Ja Soo closed his eyes and lazily placed the rifle to his chest, waving his free hand hurriedly to speed things along. "Let's go, let's go."

The sniper grinned widely and gave stress to the trigger, stepping back to take a good look at the hopeless man in front of him. "Well, if you insist…" He squinted his eyes to intently focus. "…Wouldn't want to go against someone's wishes, of course."

"I get it. You win. Shut the fuck up and sh—"

_**BANG. **_

"…"

"Shoot~." Yong Soo lowered his aim. "I missed."  
He tapped the butt of the rifle against his boot.

Ja Soo opened his eyes and turned his head to his left. He examined the shot brick a few far, FAR feet away from him.  
Not even the shrapnel came close...

" I ran out of bullets, I see." The younger brother flipped his weapon over, looking down the barrel. "Hmm. What a sad, damn disappointment, da-ze."

The victim stared inquisitively at his supposed-to-be killer.

"Just what… in the hell was that?"

Yong Soo whistled a tidbit of "아리랑" (1) as he dropped the gun unceremoniously, kicking it off to the side with one swift motion.

"What? Da-ze? It's cute, isn't it?" The younger brother smiled. "Made it up not too long ago. It makes what I say seemingly less serious…or at least give someone a good laugh."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and knelt in front of them. "I see why China says 'aru', I guess. Helps a lot." They placed a small vile of cleaning alcohol and a roll of bandages to their side, folding up Ja Soo's pant leg quicker than the patient could try and respond.

"Now let's see that cut of yours, shall we?" Yong Soo pat his elder brother's cheek with a calloused and worn hand.  
Ja Soo contemplated possibly choking the living daylights out of his reflection for being so foolish with his decision, but their wonderfully contagious smile threatened to plaster on his own face as well.

* * *

"Why didn't you just sh—**AGH**. SHIT, YONG SOO!"

"The cleaning alcohol is going to sting just a tiny bit. Hold still, or you'll mess me up."

Ja Soo inhaled a sharp breath through grit teeth before gaining back his composure. "I try to conquer you, and you help me with my wounds? Why don't you just ki—"

"If you got stabbed any deeper, this would've become a serious problem, you know. Be careful, da-ze." Yong Soo propped up his older brother's leg on his knee and began wrapping the wound quickly.

"Yong Soo, at least fucking look at me while I'm talking…"

'Doctor' Im stopped his treatment midway and glared directly at the other Korea. "I said to hold still." He raised a slender brow in question. "Too many gunshots make you deaf, or what?"

Yong Soo took his brother's hand and placed an index finger on his palm. He began tracing out some Korean characters with dots in between to differentiate every syllable. His eyes never released from the locked, steady gaze he had with the nation.

**가. **

**만. **

**히.**

**있.**

**어.**(2)

And at this point, Ja Soo gave up his harassing, feeling a bit intimidated from such elongated eye contact. Yong Soo knew that this technique would get them every damn time...

* * *

Minutes like decades passed.

Yong Soo finally finished, smoothing out the air pockets in the bandaging one last time before standing up and dusting off his hands. He dropped his vile and roll of bandages back into his pant pockets with an exhaling of breath as he started his walk down the hill.

"Unfortunately for me, I'll be seeing you around, 형 [Big brother]."

"…Likewise." Ja Soo only stared at the back of his help's head. "Unless, of course... either one or both of us die…"

Yong Soo tilted his head slowly, stretching the tight spot in his neck that had bothered him for a while.  
"Nah. I doubt that I'll be lucky enough to see you dead.  
"And I know I won't be gone anytime soon."  
They scratched at the back of their head and turned to face the resting sibling.

"We're both too stubborn to die this early, 'da-ze'."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **  
**1. "아리랑" [Arirang] is arguably the most famous folk song from Korea. This song was created before the separation of the country. If you've never heard of it, go listen to it. Now. **  
**2. "가만히있어" means "Stay still"**

**Reviews motivate me to write more. :)**


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